The present invention relates generally to the field of seat belt assemblies. More specifically, the present invention relates to the field of shoulder anchors for use with seat belt assemblies in motor vehicles.
Contemporary passenger vehicles include seat belt assemblies for protecting vehicle passengers during vehicle collision or rapid deceleration of the vehicle. The seat belt is anchored to the vehicle frame. Most vehicles include a floor frame and at least two structural pillars (e.g., an ‘A’ pillar supporting the vehicle windshield and a ‘B’, ‘C’ and/or ‘D’ pillar partially defining the passenger compartment of the vehicle. Some seat belt assemblies are three-point arrangements having three structural anchors. The seat belt may be attached (indirectly) to the vehicle body via the buckle and retractor, which are separately coupled to the vehicle floor frame, and the shoulder anchor, which is coupled to any one of the B, C and/or D pillars. In some arrangements, the shoulder anchor may also be mounted to the upper portion of the vehicle seat. The seat belt is configured to extend across the passenger's lap and upper body portion in the three-point arrangement.
Most vehicle owners engage in a substantial amount of egress and ingress with respect to the vehicle. Therefore, any resistance to winding and unwinding the seat belt can lead to user discomfort or dissatisfaction. However, given the packaging demands of many passenger vehicles and/or seats there is little room to allow for turning the seat belt and providing a guide portion for the belt. For example, in belt-to-seat arrangements, in which the belt is coupled to the seat, there is limited room for turning the seat belt and providing a guide portion for the belt. Some designs include the use of mechanical rollers to route the belt and reduce the force required to retract and extract the seat belt. However, such rollers can be expensive and substantially increase the overall cost of the seat belt assembly.
Therefore, it is desirable to provide a seat belt assembly with a shoulder anchor that complies with limited packaging demands and reduces the resistance of the seat belt during retraction and extraction without requiring additional parts.